Wait and See
by LegendsGuardian
Summary: Exactly what is life like for the Warlords and the Lady Kayura now that Talpa is gone? With a ruined realm to see to, and four hundred years of suppressed memories to deal with…There’s never a dull moment. Companion piece to The Storm's Weathered.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them. If I did, the anime would have run for a LOT longer.

_A/N: This is my Masho/Warlord story that earned itself one chapter in 2006, and that I have just recently put time and effort into finishing. "Wait and See" explores the lives of the Masho/Warlords & Kayura after the fall of Arago/Talpa. This story, well not all the chapters take place directly after the one proceeding it. When time has changed it will be noted somewhere in the chapter. This will not be a long story, think of it as companion to "The Storm's Weathered" because that's how long it is. Unlike, TSW "Wait and See" ties more closely into "The Gathering of the Legends" but it can still stand by itself. Enjoy. This story was written mainly because the baddies need love too._

_-LG_

**Summary: **Exactly what is life like for the Warlords and the Lady Kayura now that Talpa is gone? With a ruined realm to see to, and four hundred years of suppressed memories to deal with…There's never a dull day.

* * *

"Wait and See"

By: LG

Masho/Warlord fic

**Prologue**

Blood and death, two things that after all this time had remained the only constants in his life. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how far ahead he got…Those two things continued to follow him.

It was as though he was cursed. Doomed for all eternity to be hounded by what he considered to be adversaries. The darkness that now encroached around him brought no comfort. Where had the light gone? Where had hope vanished to? Why did this have to happen, and what could he possibly do to make things right?

The wind whipped by, tossing his hair every which way…Eyes as blue as ice regarded the surroundings with a slight amount of disheartenment. So much had changed, and yet so much had remained untouched by time…Like that of his own existence. Four…They had been a team of four, yet now only three remained. Many things had been lost, with no hope of ever gaining them back.

Things were going to be hard now; the Youjakai needed to be rebuilt. He would not forget all the sacrifices that had been made up til now, he could not allow that to happen…It would dishonor the memory of the person they had lost. He might still be alive, if it were not for their own foolishness. Of course he put more of the blame on himself than the other two, he should have listened. There was no telling how much could have been changed if he had just been willing to listen. There was nothing he could do now, what was in the past was in the past and could never be changed.

The man sighed heavily through his nose, and surveyed the landscape one more time before stepping back into his room to prepare for the day ahead.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter One**

* * *

The young woman tossed and turned in her futon. Her eyes were moving rapidly behind closed lids. Dark-blue hair spilled endlessly about her, and sweat dripped from her brow.

Suddenly, she shot up with a startled gasp, hand latching onto her jitte that was kept underneath her pillow and bringing it up before her. Deep-cobalt blue eyes scanned the room warily.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she lowered the weapon and slowly let out the breath she had been holding.

"Dream again," she muttered darkly under her breath, knowing, once again, she would get no more sleep.

With a forced sigh she hauled herself to her feet, and rolled up the sleeping mat before putting it away. She then dressed for the day ahead, and once she finished she sat in the middle of her room, as if to meditate.

Instead, she pushed on the floorboard directly in front of her, moving it aside to reveal a secret treasure trove of sorts. She pulled out a quill, ink well, and leather-bound book. Once that was done, she used the removed floorboard as a small desk, opening up the book to a blank page, and then she began to write.

* * *

_Day 60 post Talpa_

_Here I am once more. Awake in the middle of the night, due to haunted sleep. The Warlords, while they have said nothing, I know are going through the same ordeal. Talpa saw fit to wipe out their memories so often, I wonder if they'll ever truly remember their past?_

_As for myself, I have little to remember. A mere eight-years-old when taken…I suspect the trauma of that alone has made my memories harder to attain. But, I do have nightmares of it…That, and the Ronin of all things.'_

She paused, a frown forming on her face as she tried to decide whether or not to continue. After a moment, she returned the quill pen to the paper.

_'Still fighting them…Still causing them harm. And, I'm appalled that the person in my dreams __**enjoys **__what she is doing. Strata…The fights with him are the ones I see the most, and I inwardly cringe every time I think about it.'_

She closed her eyes and let out an un easy breath, _'I wonder how he is? Does he have nightmares like I do? Does he continue to struggle in those nightmares as though they were real? Those questions, and others like them, bother me often. But, I do not dwell on them when I keep busy._

_Running a ruined realm is not easy. The demons were not thrilled to learn they were stuck with human leaders…But, the Warlords were quick to set them straight.'_

Here she paused to snigger, it had certainly been a sight to behold.

'_But, I digress. Free of Talpa's influence, one would think the Warlords would drastically change…That really has not happened. They are different though. Sekhmet is much calmer, having lost the 'mad genius' aspect of his personality. Though, he remains very much a genius. _

_He's become rather talkative. He seeks me out during the day, and we will have tea and simply talk. From important matters, to the ridiculous, as in what snake would best suite his personality. Cale heard that, and remarked that a Japanese mamushi would suite him perfectly…Sekhmet did not appreciate that.'_

_'Dais,´_ she frowned and thought it over for a moment. _'Continues to prove he is a clever spider. He has a real mischevious streak, and much enjoys pulling pranks on Cale and Sekhmet. Sekhmet, being the way he is, rather enjoys whatever the white-haired man puts out. While, Cale looks ready to kill him.'_

She snorted and rolled her cobalt-blue eyes, that was how he _**always**_ looked.

_'Cale and I…Clash often. Silent he may be, but hot-tempered he is also. It's almost like he's an exact mirror of Halo's bearer…Better not tell him that to his face though. Not only would he avidly deny it, he'd get so-Wait, I will definitely be telling him that in the near future. At any rate, he and I argue and then Dais steps in the middle and prevents me from throttling Yami to death._

_I don't know why Dais has to take the fun out of everything, but he does. Sekhmet merely sniggers and walks away during those disputes. He seems to understand Dais well enough to know to stay out of his way. Wish Cale would stay out of __**my**_ _way._

_If he makes one more comment about me not hitting puberty,' _a feral grin crossed her lips. _'Well, it won't be pretty.' _

_'As for myself,' _Kayura rubbed at her eyes with her free hand, _'I continue to try and follow the ways of my clan…The path Anubis opened up for me. It was not easy to try and communicate with the Ancient. The first few attempts and successes were rather brief. How Anubis ever managed to meditate long enough to talk at length with the Ancient is beyond me. The bearer of Oni had the patience of a __**Saint.**__'_

Kayura put down her quill pen, and closed her eyes once more. She staid this way for several minutes with a somber expression on her face. It almost looked as though she were done writing, but she picked up her pen and dipped it in the ink.

'_In a way, he was. He sacrificed his life for mine…He turned his back on Talpa and picked up the will of the Ancient __**for**__ the other Warlords. I only know this because Sekhmet told me, that when they brought Anubis back before Talpa, Dais questioned him. _

_How could Anubis believe the lies he had just been told, how could he have been bought so easily? Anubis replied that it was the truth, and that he would try and show them himself.' _

_'In the end, he did manage to show them the truth…Though, it ultimately cost him his life. They say nothing, but I know they miss him. Talpa did whatever he could to cause dissent amongst them, words the demon told me himself. _

_But, before the invasion of earth, Sekhmet says he recalls that the four of them were always doing things together; training, studying, or just lounging around on days when they had nothing to do. After that, he cannot remember what happened. _

_I guess, Talpa made them all forget those things…Lest they band against him later. Well, they did anyway. Much to his chagrin. But, back on the topic of Anubis._

_I feel the most responsible for his death. As such, I cannot understand why the three Warlords accept me. Cale surprised us all, after I made that comment, and he merely chuckled and pat me on the head. He said, it was Badamon's fault, and in a way Talpa's…But if anyone else deserved the blame, it was him. For failing to listen.'_

She moved to dip her pen again, the conversation echoing in her thoughts…

"_No," Dais broke in shaking his head, "I'm as much…"_

"_We share equal blame," Sekhmet cut in, "We were jealous of his position under Talpa…We were angered when he got more priveledges than we did…And we felt betrayed when he left, because he left us. He walked away, or that is what we felt, and as such we would not listen to what he said. The blame, if there is any to be had, falls on the three of us."_

_Cale gave a nod to this, understanding he could not argue, "It is as you say, then."_

"_The blame and guilt falls on us," Dais agreed, smiling at Kayura, "So please, do not worry yourself over it any further."_

Kayura shook her head as she came out of the memory…That had been what, ten days ago? Well, whenever it had been, it had changed the atmosphere around the palace a great deal. Outwardly, the Warlords were nothing more than cordially, behind closed doors?

They were always making some form of ruckus. She couldn't help but snicker. Sekhmet had a slight excuse, he was still seventeen physically, but Dais and Cale were in their twenties! It just went to show…Men could be over four hundred years old mentally, and still incapable of growing up.

Kayura summarized the remained of her thoughts and put them down on paper. She then put the pen, inkwell, and journal back into the hole in the floor and covered it up with the floorboard once more.

* * *

A knock at her door caused the Lady Ancient to pick up her head, and softly say, "Enter."

A familiar head of green-hair poked in after the door slightly opened, and then Sekhmet completely entered the room with a bow of his head. The form of respect she was quick to return, and then she waited on him to speak.

"Am I disturbing you?" he queried as he tilted his head to look at her.

"Of course not, only because you'd take immense enjoyment if you were disturbing me," Kayura lilted, querying, "What brings you here at this time of morning?"

"Ah, you know me too well," he sounded slightly disappointed at hearing her first comment, and then answered, "Couldn't sleep, I'm restless."

He sat down on the floor, "I was wandering the palace, and decided to drop in here to see if you were awake. Dais and Cale are sound asleep. And both are practical nightmares to wake-up."

Kayura's sides shook with laughter, "If Cale didn't insist on staying up until the sun starts to light the sky, then he wouldn't have a problem. Dais, I have no idea why he is such a pain to wake."

"Yes that is true…And, I'm still working on an answer to that question," Sekhmet said with a nod, before he inquired, "We have already seen changes to our world because of the merging. What others do you think there will be?"

"I am unsure," the Lady Ancient admitted, eyes straying to her window…She had moved out of her original place and into the palace. It was not that it was damaged beyond repair, she simply did not feel comfortable there anymore.

"A matter of waiting and seeing, huh?" Sekhmet offered.

Kayura gave a soft smile, "Yes, that is it exactly."

* * *

_A/N: The comment about Anubis 'trying to show them himself' is from the sub version, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, not Ronin Warriors…And the information in the preceeding sentence is a little embellished. Call it an artistic license._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

**

* * *

**

Cale walked down the long halls, somewhat lost in his thoughts. By mortal standards it was noon, by his own he should have been sleeping. While no longer a Warlord, the man was still very much tied to his element of darkness. Thus, he preferred sleeping when most people were awake, and being awake when most were asleep.

Yet, having to rebuild the Dynasty prevented him from taking such pleasure. The man let out an aggravated sigh, and ran a hand through his wild blue hair, coming to a full halt after rounding the next corner.

"Very well then, back to work," Sekhmet told the soldier, black-eyes flickering ever so slightly.

The soldier was quick to bow and scurry away, leaving the green-haired man to roll his eyes. That was when he noticed he was no longer alone.

"Ah Cale," the former Warlord of Venom greeted, "Nice of you to stop playing vampyr.

The blue-haired man snorted, "I have been awake since yesterday, you'd do wise not to try my patience."

"Join the club," Sekhmet scoffed, "It seems the more sleep I try and gain, the more memories spring up. It's more annoying than-"

"One of Dais illusions," the other finished as he began walking down the hall, expecting the green-haired man to follow…Which he did.

"At least I have some good news," Sekhmet brought in, "They've finished making the repairs to the east end. Clean-up should be finished by tomorrow."

Cale was silent, the east end…That had been where Anubis'; chambers were…

Sekhmet seemed to know what his companion was thinking, "It's not the same without him."

"No…It isn't. But, he is at rest now. Though, I still wish I had not been blind to the truth."

"We all wish the same," the former Warlord of Venom remarked. "It won't bring him back though. My only hope that Badamon's cursing of him, did not harm his afterlife."

"There is no way to tell," the blue-haired man admitted. "Dwelling on the past will not aide us further. What is there to do today?"

"Ah," Sekhmet closed his eyes and pursed his lips in thought. "Kayura wanted you to check over the soldiers' training. We are still very much open to attack from other Warlords, greedy types, etcetera. I'm supposed to continue to oversee construction. Dais…I don't think the lousy spider is even _awake_, yet."

* * *

Which was the furthest thing from the truth…The former Warlord of Illusion had been awake for hours. He had been checking out the magical inconsistencies located within the palace. The tears were simple reminders of the Ronin having battled there, and Talpa almost succeeding in destroying both worlds.

If left unattended these rips could be dangerous, and cause widespread destruction. Not something the Dynasty needed to deal with, seeing as how it was still in the stage of recovering from the fighting.

Dais was making sure the Nether Spirits closed all the holes, which varied in size from an automobile to just a pin prick. While Badamon had been destroyed, many of the Nether Spirits remained. It was just as well, they were the only things capable of sealing such tears.

To keep them in line, Kayura had appointed one of their own to take charge. If left to their own devices the Spirits would go near-to-insane and wipe everything out.

As for his assigned task for the day, Dais' heart just was not in it today. He felt particularly gloomy…Mainly due to what he had recently remembered.

Unlike the other two, Dais could clearly recall what he had done before entering Talpa's ranks. He had been an assassin, and due to his clever wit and sheer cunning he'd been particularly good at the task.

What he had not remember until two nights ago, was the fact that he had been the son of a feudal lord…And the eldest of the man's four children.

He had been groomed from the time of his birth to take over the clan, to one day become lord and serve in his father's place. But… The longer he trained for it, and the closer he got to taking over the more he had wanted out.

The need to be free from a strict society, and set his own rules had been alluring to the young man. So, he had left, and not looked back…Never spoke to his family again. When he had become an assassin, he felt there was nothing in the world to which he was better suited.

He was so good at his work, that he had become unbeatable. No one could match his skills, it ended up becoming mere child's play. But, with such a line of work…There came a hefty price.

In the assassination group, he eventually became leader of, there was no way to know one's real identity. Somehow, a rival had remembered meeting him before…And, to get at Dais he killed almost the entire family.

Only Dais' youngest sister had remained alive, and that was due to the fact she had been married off to some distant feudal lord's son. Thus, she was not present when the slayings took place.

The once Warlord of Illusion remembered finding the rival and killing him…And making sure that the fool's death was an excruciatingly painful one.

…That is when Talpa had found him.

Dais had failed to be impressed by the demons offers of great power and immortality. Such things mattered little to him at the time, but what had piqued his interest was Talpa's offering him the chance to gain more knowledge than any mere mortal could have had.

Still, the white-haired man had not jumped on the chance. He had given it considerable thought. Perhaps, he had given it more than what was necessary. In the end, he had decided he had nothing left to lose and joined.

"Wish I had known it would cost me my soul," Dais grumbled out, as he walked back into the newly reconstructed part of the palace. "And a brother."

Anubis…He would always be a sore wound for each of them. His betrayal had hurt, but his loss only more so. When they came to understand he had only switched sides to make them realize the spell they'd let themselves be placed under…And the errors of their ways…It had hurt worse.

They had begrudgingly accepted the fact that there was nothing they could do to change what had happened…

…But sometimes, Dais wondered if there was a way, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**A Month Later**

* * *

This is where they would come to talk…The three men, former Warlords to the now very deceased Talpa, would sit on the bridge where their comrade had fallen trying to save Kayura…Trying to save them.

It was a bitter pill for them to swallow…It always would be. While they had always been vying for spot as 'Talpa's favorite; there was plenty of time in between those moments where they interacted.

They had come to respect one another after a few years…And after four centuries together they, in their own way, had become friends. At times, it was a begrudging friendship, close to breaking…Yet, at others the bond between them was no different than the one their enemy, the Ronin, held.

Unfortunately, it just was not as strong. If it had been, perhaps they would have realized the truth sooner, and Anubis would still be alive. It was an awful lot of 'ifs'. Talpa had not been so blind that he was unaware that his warlords could choose a different path, and become stronger than he. He had been aware their potential to gain as much strength as the Ronin if they followed the armor's virtues.

By keeping the four men in competition with one another, he made sure whatever friendship existed would remain tentative so as to not interefere with his plans.

"We were played for fools so many times," there was a thinly veiled disgust in Cale's voice, "And I never saw it."

Sekhmet was sitting on the bridge railing, black eyes on his companions though he would occasionally glance past them to gaze at the cold water below.

Anubis body had never been found…The girl with the Ronin, Mia, had said the tiger had pulled the body ashore, Kayura confirmed the statement having seen it as well. But, when they went to the spot in question, it was gone.

He came from his musings to remark, "None of us did. We didn't want to. All we saw was that he was a traitor. I didn't care that he betrayed Talpa, I was angry because he betrayed me, he betrayed _us_."

"Yes," Dais conceded with a nod, "And I would have loved nothing more than giving that monk nightmares for years, if not outright killed him for what he did."

Cale's eyes were on the water now, and he leaned his crossed arms on top of the railing to gaze into their depths, "When you two left, and I took him to the dungeon, he was oddly silent. He did not plead with me, not a sound came from him until after I spoke."

A forlorn sigh worked its way past his lips, "I told him I was disappointed and disgusted that he'd been so easily swayed by words. He queried what the real disgrace was then, had I not been swayed to Talpa's side by words and empty promises?"

After this, Cale fell silent, inwardly reflecting on what Anubis had spoken back then.

* * *

Cale had been the youngest of his family, with an elder brother, Katsuro, and one elder sister, Fuyuko. His brother had always been kind with him…His sister had come across cold, but upon reflection of the memories he had, he understood it was simple her way.

He could not have been more than nine when she simply vanished. Now, from what little he could recall, no one had been able to figure out what had become of her. Why she had vanished, or where she had vanished to had remained mysteries, and as far as he was concerned they still were.

Katsuro had gone off and fought in many battles…Always returning victoriously.

Yet, the last fight he had returned from…Katsuro came back gravely wounded. He did not survive, he was dead three days later. Cale had been left to uphold the family name, and slated with the duties not uncommon for a clan heir.

At nineteen he'd been engaged to marry (the marriage having been arranged when he was eleven), and when he had returned from battle he came to find his fiancé, a woman he'd come to love, murdered.

After that, he had emotionally detached himself from everything. It was in this hateful and bitter state of mind Talpa had found him, and lured Cale into his ranks.

Yes…Anubis had been right then, Cale _had_ allowed himself to be taken in by words. Something he denied then, but willingly admitted to himself now. He simply wished he had admitted it sooner.

"We all joined for a reason, even if our vision was greatly clouded," the former Warlord of Darkness murmured now. "We cannot change what was done. Only…We can only try and make up for it."

Sekhmet gave a nod in agreement, "His loss will be felt for quite sometimes, but we can honor what he did for us by ensuring a threat like Talpa never again takes root here."

"I think the first step to that," Dais paused, and then corrected himself. "No, second….First step is rebuilding."

"Go on," the blue-haired man remarked, as he now turned around so he was facing the other two, no longer desiring to look at the water.

"We need to train Kayura how to use the Oni armor."

Cale let out a groan, he somehow _knew_ that was going to come up, "Don't look at me, it'll be the perfect excuse for her to maim, or/and kill me. You and Sekhmet can train her."

"I don't see what your problem is," Sekhmet commented with a frown, "There's nothing wrong with Kay."

"K-kay?!" the former Warlord of Darkness sputtered. "You've given the girl, a _nickname_!?"

"So?" the green-haired man's tone signified he was not impressed with Cale's theatrics. "If you'd stop teasing her and trying to act like you were her older brother you two might **actually** get along."

"I am _not_ related to her, I would never _want_ to be related to that mad girl," Cale scoffed out sounding seriously offended.

"Yes, incestuous relationships just don't do it for him," the white-haired man added into the conversation with a sly grin.

"Exactly," Cale gave a nod, pleased the former Warlord of Illusion had just backed him up…Wait a minute…

The light**-**bulb clicked on in the blue-haired man's head and he bellowed, **"DAIS!"**

Dais and Sekhmet could only laugh at the flustered and annoyed Cale in response.

…The Nether Realm was to forever be their home…But in the coming years they would come to question that thought.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Cookie to the person who can figure out why the date is important. XD_

_So, anyone enjoying reading this thing, or is it boring?_

_LG_

**Chapter Four**

**1990**

* * *

He walked the streets with hands shoved into the pockets of his denim jeans. The shirt he wore was faded signifying it had been through one too many washings. His black-eyes scanned the sidewalk and points beyond it as he continued his walk.

Sekhmet's face seemed to show that he was particularly bored, and any one that stopped to glance at the green-haired man quickly turned away when they saw black-eyes staring back at them.

It bothered him relatively little that the people found him to be odd, even in his own time he had been considered a freak. So the stares and whispers now were of no concern to him.

Suddenly, he seemed to perk up, black-eyes quickly diverting to an alleyway. His pace picked up a little, an he slipped off into the alley now having found what he'd been looking for.

"Harming innocents?" the former Warlord of Venom queried in a bored tone, having come up right behind the demon.

It was quick to drop its pray, and then spun around to look at him with wide-eyes…In the time it took for that to happen, Sekhmet had already run his sword through it.

He let out a 'tch' when the body disintegrated, and cast a disinterested look to the human that had been in the demon's snares. One glance told him the person was still alive, and with that he willed his prized weapon away and returned to the sidewalk he had been traversing.

Things had long ago settled down in the Nether Realm, but were starting to slightly heat up in that of the mortal. Hence, Kayura had told him and the other two that they were going to start making trips to the mortal realm to cut down on the low-level demons that were slipping through into it.

They were hardly a threat, and would never come in numbers great enough to be such a threat; however, the fact was they were coming from the Nether Realm and preying on humans. Thus, it became their (the Warlords and Kayura) responsibility to take care of the problem.

The Ronin, Kayura had explained, could not be expected to do this form of clean-up simply because they were mortal and had obligations…Something the four immortals happened to be free of. So, for the past several months they had been coming to the mortal realm whenever they sensed a disturbance and taking care of whatever demon was causing slight havoc.

It might have been due to the fact they were making such frequent trips between realms…Or because they were spending so much time in the mortal…Either way, they were starting to age at a normal rate.

Sekhmet sighed through his nose and shook his head. He didn't think it was that big of a deal, really. Cale and Dais did not seem particularly thrilled, but both were older (physically…It was sometimes a debate as to whether or not they were mentally older) then he was already.

Now, Kayura was quite happy…Not that he could blame her, who wanted to take centuries to age a year when you were twelve? Okay, okay thirteen, shoot him for being off by a year.

The former Warlord of Venom paused a moment, eyes straying to across the street landing on his rival and the bearer of Hardrock. Both seemed to be dressed for a day at the beach, but were talking in what he knew to be hushed tones.

_'Probably talking about Halo,' _he grimly thought, quick to walk down a side-street to avoid them seeing him.

Though, Cye did look up and glance at the spot for a brief moment in confusion having sensed something, before brushing it off and returning his attention to Kento.

Sekhmet and the others had heard about what happened to the blond swordsman…Kayura, perhaps four months after the defeat of Talpa had gone to Wildfire's bearer and shown him how to communicate with them. Should anything go wrong, he was to contact her if he had need of her assistance.

Unfortunately, when the time came he had been unable to take her up on the offer. He did, however, inform her and the former Warlords about what had happened when the ordeal was over.  
All of them had initially been surprised by the news…Well, everyone except for Cale.

He knew from his fights with the blond youth, that Halo's bearer was highly sensitive, if not fully empathic. It made sense to him that someone would single the swordsman out and inadvertently found about the armor as a result.

Kayura had been distraught, actually she still was. She had been unable to sense anything, and being the last of the Ancient's clan that rather struck a chord with her. It bugged him too, especially since he was aware that she had been able to sense Ryo and Rowen fighting in the Nether Realm.

Further, the Lady Ancient had been unable to connect with her ancestor's spirit. Now that one didn't bother him, from what little dealings he had with the fool monk he knew him to be fickle.

Still, Sekhmet had done what he could to reassure her. He explained that when the monk had been helping the Ronin, it had been done at the very last minute. Also, whenever he gave advice it had been way too vague.

The green-haired man felt bad for her. It mat have seemed odd that he would have taken such a liking to her…But it wasn't. They were the youngest, and where Anubis had been like the older brother he was always trying to be better than, Kayura was the little sister that he felt needed protection.

It had a lot to do with his family life before Talpa. While the demon emperor had done all he could to block the memories out, that didn't mean he'd been successful in undoing the mentality that had resulted from those life experiences.

Kayura reminded Sekhmet of his little sister Yuri. The girl had been the only one in his family to show him kindness. She had been old enough to understand that her big brother was different, yet young enough to not care that such a difference was unacceptable in their society.

Sekhmet had loved her dearly, something Talpa's mind-meddling and outright brain-washing had not been able to erase. It had not taken him long to remember what had happened to her and the rest of his family.

They had been wiped out by a neighboring clan, while he had bee away at battle. During that time period in Japan's history, such things were just about a common occurrence.

He had let his need for revenge drive him right into Talpa's hands. Oh, he got his revenge all right and then servitude to a gloating moronic emperor for over four centuries. Really, it's not like he would have found something better to do with his time anyway.

He shook his head and scowled, "How did I get off on this subject? Meh, lousy mortal realm air."

The former Warlord of Venom stretched and looked at the watch he had purchased to check and see what time it was. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he and the others had money…Just because they'd been in the Nether Realm for a little over four hundred years did not mean they were unaware of money…Or where their clan elders had stashed surplus amounts of it.

Hey, it wasn't like their long deceased relations were going to spend it.

"Time to head back to the Dynasty gate, and wait for Dais to show up. Joy."

* * *

It was hard to miss the surprise on his face when he arrived and Dais was already there, standing under an awning trying to stay out of the direct sun. It was awfully hot that day, not that it bother Sekhmet any.

"Find anything?" the white-haired man queried, pulling down his pair of sun glasses so that his eyes were visible. Yes, eyes. Dais used his ability of manipulation to make it look like he had both eyes.

"Just a few low level demons, nothing special," the green-haired man responded once more sounding bored, "You?"

"Same," Dais pushed his sun-glasses back up, and fiddled with the collar on his t-shirt, tucking the tags back down. "Those things are annoying. At any rate, it is a good thing we came and not Kayura and Cale. Cale would die from heat stroke."

"Agreed," Sekhmet said with a nod, "I have heard that this type of heat is unusual. In fact, they have broken their record high by more than twenty degrees." He paused a moment, before saying the thing currently weighing on his mind, "You do not think there is something amiss, do you?"

Dais waved his friend's concern aside, "This planet is fickle. It goes through periods of extreme cold and then extreme heat on a global scale. The idiot mortals panic until it changes again. The only thing that will be amiss is our lives if we return late."

Sekhmet gave a snigger at this, but said nothing further as the gate appeared and they walked on through it.

…Of course, Dais could not have known his general assumption that nothing was wrong was incorrect…But, he'd get harassed about it later.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**A Short Time Later**

* * *

"Oh _sure,_ it ended up being nothing," Sekhmet dryly remarked.

Dais sighed through his nose, "I _never_ said that!"

"No, you said, and I quote: _This planet is fickle, it goes through_-_"_

The white-haired man quickly clamped a hand over Sekhmet's mouth, "I _remember_ what I said, I'm not senile yet."

The former Warlord of Venom shoved his hand away, saying with a derisive snort, "Could have fooled me."

"Cut it out," Kayura irritably snapped at the two of them. There was a prominent scowl etched into her features as she walked into the room.

Cale perked up at her entrance, "Did Wildfire say what happened?"

Kayura let out a frustrated sigh before flopping down on the floor, "It seems that without a presence of evil, or an opponent worth fighting, the armors went looking for a fight. It appears that the White Inferno Armor had a twin, a dark counterpart…And both armors were never supposed to meet, but they did anyway."

"Which resulted in the earth being nearly destroyed I take it?" Dais asked in a bored tone.

Kayura gave a nod, to which Sekhmet rolled his eyes and scoffed, "So what else is new?" He then looked to the Lady Ancient, "Continue on, Kay."

"The end result was that they had to destroy their armors, and that, I suspect, is why ours vanished."

"But the question is why?" Cale was frowning now as he mulled it over. "How could that have affected our armors even though we were not involved and not even in the same realm, at the time?"

"Perhaps that is something I can explain," a voice brought in…

* * *

"Ancient!" Dais was on his feet, his eye narrowed at the very transparent spirit that stood before them.

Even Kayura looked to be surprised at seeing her elder there, and she said as much, "What are you doing here after all this time?"

"Yes, do tell," Cale growled out his eyes were also narrowed, and his lips seemed to be curled back into a snarl.

Before the monk could open his mouth to answer, Sekhmet commented in a bored tone, "Please let it be _something_ useful. If you're going to be vague go bother the Ronin."

The Ancient One could only sigh through his nose, it certainly had not been the welcome he was expecting. He, by no means, had expected it to be a warm one, but he hadn't expected their overall disinterest.

"If you would prefer not to know, then that is just as well," the monk told them, well aware he was baiting them…And they happened to know it too.

"Speak if you came here to speak monk," Dais calmly remarked. "But do not lure us with words."

"It is not something we appreciate," the green-haired man added in.

"Very well," the spirit shifted, but seeing as how spirits should be weightless why he did this unnecessary movement was beyond them. "Your armors came from Talpa, but they were not from this realm originally. The one they came from was a place filled with endless destruction and battle lost. Even now, I cannot tell you how Talpa came into their possession. Only that he did so, and combined them into one."

He took pause, and then continued, "When the white armor appeared to the Ronin due to their need for a greater power…The armors realm was again in line with the mortal and this one. I instilled the virtues in the nine to try and subdue the original armor nature to fight. But when the black armor revealed itself the White Inferno managed to override the virtues."

"Ryo did say it was a stroke of luck that they were able to force the virtues back onto their armors," Kayura brought in to the discussion.

Cale's face was framed by a frown as he took all of this in, and he reworded his question from earlier, "So our armors disappeared because?"

"With the destruction of the five, the four seasons felt little reason to remain behind," the Ancient explained. "The armors have simply returned to their realm, but I doubt that will last for very long."

Sekhmet had his eyes closed throughout the talk, but now they opened, "Something is coming, I take it?"

"Yes. The Ronin have one more test, if they pass then the evil will soon follow. I come to you now to warn you, and to tell you, Kayura, that they most go through this last one alone."

Kayura's cobalt-blue eyes narrowed as she glared at her elder, "You! You've been blocking me, so I don't know what's going on with them?"

"You must understand they were not raised as warriors like you and the Seasons. You could not have aided them during these trials anyway, I thought it best to block you. Trying to contact someone amongst the living is difficult, more so when you're to contact someone in a completely different realm. I come now because it was the soonest I could get here."

Dais had gotten up from his spot, and gently took Kayura by the arm…She had been fully prepared to throttle the spirit, "Is there anything more?"

"I will contact you when it is time," the Ancient One answered.

"Time for what?" Sekhmet suspiciously queried.

To this the spirit simply grinned, before vanishing without a word further.

* * *

The moment he was gone the teenage Lady Ancient pushed Dais off of her, "OH! I wish he were alive that way I could shove the shajuko up his ass!"

Cale gave a snigger, "One so young should mind their language."

"You're _dead_," Kayura announced eye twitching as she launched herself after the fleeing blue-haired man.

Sekhmet rolled his eyes skyward at their antics, before inquiring of Dais, "What do you think the monk meant?"

The white-haired man was silent for several minutes, his lips pressed into a thin line before he spoke, "I am unsure, we will have to wait and see."

The former Warlord of Venom gave a tch, he'd _heard_ that one before.

* * *

_A/N: Yes, the Warlords and Kayura are rather unimpressed by the Ancient One. Seriously, he didn't impress me either: be as vague as possible when answering his chosen's questions, do not fully disclose what they are getting into before they're already in it too deep, and my personal favorite: bail them out at the last possible moment. I want his job. _

_Hope you enjoyed, only one chapter more to go, and then the epilogue. :-)_

_LG_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

**1991**

* * *

The test…It had been bothering him ever since the Ancient told them about it. What kind of test could the Ronin possibly be put through now? Had it not been bad enough that mere children had to suffer and fight one of the strongest demon lords in the entire Nether Realm's history?

Dais sighed through his nose, and rubbed at his forehead. If anyone knew he was thinking such things they would claim that he was going soft. That was not true, though.

The Ronin were no longer 'the enemy,' and he could not deny they had accomplished much, because they had. Reflecting on his fights with them in the past, had allowed him to develop a certain amount of respect for the, now, young men.

Now, that didn't mean he wasn't holding a slight grudge, because he was...As they had more than kicked his carcass all over the place. He figured he was entitled to be slightly 'grudgy'…Still he had to wonder why it was necessary to put children through such ordeals.

"Pondering out the fate of the universe, or just deciding on a new prank?" Cale smoothly queried, having walked just entered into palace garden, one of many that Kayura insisted they plant.

"Why should I ponder fate at all?" the white-haired man answered with a question of his own.

The other snorted, and rolled his eyes, "Stop being evasive, you're the spider not the slithery snake."

"Lumbering wolf, what do you wish to pester me about?" Dais finally turned his attention to the man, a smirk crossing his face as Cale scowled. It had always reminded the former Warlord of Illusion of when a wolf curled back his lips to snarl.

Cale smoothed out the emotion on his face, "I wanted to know if you've felt the same restlessness as I."

He watched the white-haired man closely, looking for a sign of anything in the hopes it would betray Dais normal evasiveness, and added, "Sekhmet feels it. Kayura to a lesser extent."

"I think it may be the armors," that was his way of answering the question, not that the other had expected anything less. "They might have left, but the bond between us and them is, for lack of a better term, inseparable. The fates are intertwined."

"And we cannot find out more till the Ronin pass this test," Cale grumbled out.

Sekhmet and Kayura walked into the garden in time to catch that part of the conversation. The two exchanged brief looks with one another, before Kayura spoke.

"I think they might have already done so. The reason for our being on edge might have come from the fact they were being tested."

"How can you tell they passed?" Dais sounded mildly interested.

"We felt the need to seek you both out," Sekhmet spoke now, "For no apparent reason."

At this Cale and Dais exchanged glances with one another, and then looked to the other two…All four of them nodded and remarked in dull tones, "Ancient."

* * *

The monk probably blinked behind his hat at their comments, and then some more when they all turned around to stare at him with disinterested looks plastered on their faces.

"Hm, then am I to take it you do not care to know what has occurred?" the Ancient One seemed to be musing this aloud. "Perhaps, if you are not interested at this time, I should come back later? Though, one would have thought you'd be interested in receiving certain gifts."

Dais frowned at hearing this, but Cale outright glared his hackles undoubtedly raised, "Do not speak to us in riddles monk!"

"We've warned you already about being vague," Sekhmet added in stifling a yawn.

"Boys, show a little respect to my elder please?" Kayura was worried that their treatment of him might cause him to leave before she could find out what had happened and what was going on.

"Ah, thank-you Kayura, though I am aware that you merely want me to get to the point," the Ancient remarked, holding in a chuckle when she let out a sigh at being caught.

"At any rate, as for the gifts I was talking about," the monk continued, as he motioned to his side, "May I introduce Suzunagi?"

The red-head appeared next to him almost immediately, and was quick to give a bow of her head in respect. She then spoke, "I would be the final test that had been awaiting the Ronin, and they passed. At the end of the trail, they were given the use of new armor."

Suzunagi paused a moment, and looked to the Ancient who gave a nod, so she went on, "We have devised new ones for you as well."

"How?" Sekhmet's eyebrows went up, as he looked between the two spirits.

Suzunagi gave a scoff, "Don't expect to get an answer from a spirit, just take the orb. All you have to do is hold it once, and the orb will vanish, the connection between you and the armor will re-establish."

"We have a specific one for you Kayura," the Ancient told her.

The red-headed young woman nodded, having finished handing the kanji orbs to the former Warlords, she now handed one to the Lady Ancient.

"Ai?" Kayura queried with a frown as she read the kanji aloud, gaze drifting to her elder, waiting for an explanation.

"That is closer to your true virtue, but also why you were able to receive the Oni armor. Loyalty and love, at times, can be closely tied," the Ancient said.

"So," Dais had been thinking about it since the last time the Ancient had shown himself, "What about that armor?"

"You will have to find the bearer yourselves," Suzunagi shrugged dropping the orb into the palm of his hand…At the gaping looks she smirked in delight, and then vanished; leaving the Ancient One to receive the death-glares.

The monk heaved a sigh…Really, the world was against him…No wait, the entire universe…Seeing as how this was not even the mortal realm and fate was stacked against him.

* * *

"Find the bearer?" Cale demanded eyes narrowed into a hateful stare.

The Ancient was unconcerned with the look, rather used to it by this point, "For the battle that is to come, the Oni armor will be needed. As such a bearer will be needed for it, however it is not what you think. You are not to find it a new bearer, you must locate it's old one."

He did not allow the weight of those words to sink in before elaborating further, "It was only by luck that the curse Badamon tried to use on him failed. His spirit has been fine, but due to the coming battle he is to be sent back to the world of the living."

The three men and young woman simply stared at the monk in total and complete shock.

Sekhmet somehow managed to find his voice, "And?"

"You will have to find him," the Ancient said in a calm voice. "He will be as he was when you knew him, the same age…However, his memories will be gone. He will not know who you are, though he might get vague impressions of things that are familiar."

"Just like any other reincarnated soul?" Dais queried, and when the monk nodded he posed another question, "There is more to it than that, correct?"

"Yes, and I will tell you all that I can."

…Of course, it would be a lie to say that the Ancient told them everything, but he did tell them most of what he knew. Only omitting a few very important things, but it's not like they expected any different.

The task before them was a daunting one. It would not be easy by any means, but they felt they could handle it. Handle it they would…It would take time, but being over four hundred years old helped to make you patient.

…Sometimes, anyway…

* * *

-End

...For now...

* * *

_A/N: Yes, I know, its the type of ending you want to strangle the author for. However, Wait and See was only ever meant to be a short-story, that explored what was going on with the Warlords and Kayura after Talpa and during/after the OVAs. I also wrote it for me to get a better grasp of the characters, while explaining things about them that show up in the TGOL series. Now, this is a companion piece to "The Storm's Weathered" my short-Ronin fic; as such it can tie into TGOL, but it doesn't have to. And, one day when a certain red-headed bearer of the Oni armor decides to cooperate, WAS will get a sequel. Until then, this will have to do :-)_

_Oh and should anyone get the desire, or plot bunny, to write what happens to Anubis and what the others go through to get him 'back' after reading this, go ahead. I will -heart- you for writing it. :D Epilogue will be up shortly_

_Thanks for reading and reviewing! -glomps to all-_

**_LG_**


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Sometime Later**

* * *

Dais let out a small yawn as he continued to sit in one of the interior gardens. The man leaned back against the tree, he had been sitting in front of, and used it as an effective recliner.

The white-haired man looked up and gave a nod of acknowledgement to Kayura as she walked into the area. Seeing him there she came to a full halt, and quirked an eyebrow, "Is this where you've been _all_ day?"

Dais gave her a shrug in answer, and returned his gaze to the limbs and sky above him.

Kayura shook her head at him, saying, "I would have thought you'd be with the others."

Here the former Warlord of Illusion gave a snort, "I am happy we were able to get Anubis back, it doesn't mean I am going to _fawn_ over him."

Dais looked past Kayura seeing something, and adding, "Sekhmet and Cale are more than capable of doing it."

The Lady Ancient chuckled at his comment, and sat down on the small bench. She knew that Dais was more at ease now that the last of their number had been found…And the memories gone were returned. Even though the white-haired man did not make it obvious, she knew the relief was there.

* * *

"I can't believe you talk so much," the read-headed bearer of Oni commented, as he, Sekhmet, and Cale, walked into the garden.

The former Warlord of Illusion gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, "What can I say? Even psychopaths need to socialize."

The bearer of Yami gave a snort, and toss of his blue-head, "Yeah…But they don't talk until their audience's ears bleed."

"We were _Dark Warlords_," Sekhmet scoffed out, "Being able to draw blood was a job requirement!"

Anubis let out an amused laugh at this; the green-haired man did make a very good point. Anubis managed to get a hold on his mirth, before giving a nod in acknowledgement to Kayura and flopping down on the ground next to Dais.

The white-haired man opened his eye, "Besides, you're supposed to enjoy your job, right?"

"We're not Warlords anymore," Cale grumbled out, as he too sat down in the grass.

Sekhmet snorted, "You still whine like one."

The blue-haired man's eye started to twitch, but Anubis halted further bickering by saying, "What is done is done, the past cannot be changed."

"We simply must do what we can in the future," Kayura added in.

The former Warlord of Venom leaned back in the grass, "What do you think will come?"

"It is impossible to say with any certainty," Dai commented as he closed his eye again.

Cale gave a nod to this, "True."

Kayura did not offer more of a response than a slight shrug of her shoulders, by this point she was done with guessing games and trying to figure things out. She had decided it was best to let things happen, and just deal with them as they came along.

Anubis looked thoughtful, and collected his thoughts for several minutes before he spoke, "The one thing that is definite is that something is to occur. We will be prepared for whatever it may be. But as far as how bad it will be, or when it will be that cannot be foreseen. We will merely have to bide time and take notice."

Sekhmet's eye started to twitch, and the others noticed and were confused by this reaction…At least they were until he explained.

"The next person that says we will have to "wait and see" is going to find themselves on a _date_ with one of my swords."

The other four merely rolled their eyes and shook their heads…Of course, they were well aware that wasn't exactly an _idle_ threat.

* * *

The warriors of the Nether Realm were back together…Ready for the fight that was soon to come.

...One can hope, anyway


End file.
